We all love finding and creating luxurious at-home concoctions to put on our skin when we are breaking out, getting dry winter skin, or just really bored. However, for every wonderful do-it-yourself skincare pin you find on Pinterest, there are a hundred that could end horribly. I have seen skin rubbed raw, dyed a slightly blue color (it was temporary!), and many other unnatural things; I have been scarred forever from some of these experiences. Coming from a woman who claims to have the most sensitive skin on the planet, whatever doesn’t make my skin feel like one of the fiery pits of Hell will probably make yours feel great. See how much pain I went through for y’all?
Being busy college students, we don’t have time to mess around with our skin products in the midst of midterm week like we did over winter break. We also can’t keep breaking the bank on Sephora products that might not even be what our skin needs. So, go into your kitchen (if you have one) or stop at the IGA on Forbes, and get started with a simple, inexpensive skincare regimen.
First, here are a few ingredients that you can never go wrong with:
Honey: Antibacterial, antiseptic, full of natural antioxidants, and delicious – honey is by far my favorite miracle ingredient. (For all you non-chemists out there, antioxidants inhibit the oxidation of molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which are very reactive and wreak havoc on your skin and body. So thank natural wonders like honey and Vitamins A, C, and E for doing us such a solid.) Honey is a great ingredient for any skin care routine because it helps with acne, and moisturizes the skin yet helps reduce oiliness, and is a natural preservative for your DIY productions.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Almost as magical as honey, apple cider vinegar restores your skin’s natural pH balance (many of your skin problems may just be your pH getting out of whack), reduces redness and those ugly acne scars, softens skin, and helps reduce blemishes. Although it isn’t as appetizing as honey, you should be putting this inside your body as well. It helps regulate your body’s inner ecosystem, detoxifies your digestive system, encourages weight loss, and many other wonderful things. Take a diluted shot of apple cider vinegar every day or add it to some lemon water and after awhile you’ll start feeling and seeing the benefits. (Apple cider vinegar is mostly acetic acid, so if you don’t dilute it and you take a shot, you will feel the burn – a chemical burn, that is. Just don’t do it.)
Tea Tree Oil: Another tidbit of magic, you say? Of course. Tea tree oil is antibacterial like honey, and it helps with a wide range of skin ailments – acne, fungal infections, eczema, cuts and burns, lice (I hope this elementary school epidemic is over by now…), sunburn, and really anything that ails your outsides. Like apple cider vinegar, please don’t forget to dilute tea tree oil. In the right amount, it will fix nearly anything, but if you use too much or it isn’t diluted, your skin will soon be dryer than the Sahara. I put it in all of my skincare regimens, but I also like to dip a wet Q-tip into tea tree oil and apply it to pimples. It clears them up like nobody’s business.
Now that we have our basic wonder ingredients, let’s use them to make some of my favorite and most simple products:
Tea Tree Oil Cleanser (The Oil Cleansing Method)
You’ll need:
Grapeseed oil (You can use olive oil as well)
Castor Oil
Tea Tree Oil
That’s all. The oiliness or dryness of your skin will change the recipe of your cleanser. If you’re oily, use 70% grapeseed oil and 30% castor oil (this oil draws impurities from your skin, but will dry it out if too much is used). Likewise, use 80:20 for normally balanced skin and 90:10 for dry skin. Put the oils in a clean container and add a few drops of tea tree oil.
The method of cleansing is as important as its ingredients: massage the cleanser into your skin for about a minute, wet a washcloth with hot water (not scalding – just hot), and press the washcloth to your face to soften the pores. Repeat pressing the washcloth to your face as many times as you want. When you’re done, dab your face with the wet washcloth and let your skin air-dry. Please, never rub your face; it pisses your skin off and helps nothing.
I know what you’re going to say – isn’t oil bad for your skin? No, it isn’t. What is bad for your skin is continuing to dry it out with “oil absorbers” that only cause your face to produce more and more oil to replace what you’re taking away. By cleansing with oil, you’re using a fundamental chemical property – “like dissolves like” – to replace the “bad” oils that cause acne in your skin with “good” oils like castor and grapeseed oil. After a good oil cleanse, your skin will be glowing and fresh. Many people don’t even have to moisturize if they cleanse properly!
Apple Cider Vinegar Toner
1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part water
Ta-da! Toner. Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water, dab a cotton ball into the solution (you could even get a little frisky and add a drop of tea tree oil), and dab it onto your skin. Remember, no rubbing! Y’all need to stop rubbing.
Honey Mask
Slab as much honey on your face as your heart desires and let it sit for 15 minutes. You can add Greek yogurt, bananas, mashed mango, cinnamon, or anything you like, but you really don’t need to because honey does it all. That’s seriously all you have to do. You do have to wash it off, though. Have a strong margarita and lick the honey around your mouth while you’re waiting. (Just kidding, alcohol is horrible for your skin. Sorry, ladies.)
All of these recipes are noncomedogenic (they won’t clog your pores), irritant and preservative-free, cheap, and made from stuff you probably already have in your cupboard! However, before I let you go, I have some basic tips for what not to put on your skin:
1. Use harsh abrasives like sugar sparingly. If it hurts, stop.
2. Never put vegetable, mineral, safflower, or other processed oils on your skin. Before you just dip your face into a vat of oil, do a quick Google search to determine whether or not it should even be touching your skin.
3. Look at the labels of the products you already use. Do they have ingredients like methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, or other preservatives? Fragrance? Unnatural color additives? Mineral oil? These could all be irritating your skin. If there are any ingredients you cannot pronounce on your skincare labels, you should consider throwing them out.
In other words, invest some time into researching what you’re putting on your skin because it could actually be the cause of your skin issues, and these unnecessary, unnatural ingredients could be polluting your body. As busy college women, we don’t have time to mess around with expensive products that don’t actually work. Get on Pinterest for a minute and you’ll find a thousand more easy, quick, and cheap recipes like the tried-and-true ones I showed you.
Sources: Crunchy Betty, Medline Plus, The Intentional Minimalist, Organic Authority, MindBodyGreen, Care2
Photo Credit: Google Images, Sue Bee, Jeddah Beauty, Care2